General

(1) Community-based forest patrol team engaged in site-based protection utilizing Spatial Monitoring and Report Tool (SMART) to measure and monitor activities in Gunung Naning Protected Forest; (2) Conservation Cooperatives kick-started to reduce inequalities and promote sustainable development in rural buffer zone communities; (3) Conservation Audit and Buy-back program provide incentives for villages honoring their conservation pledge; (4) Improved land management through organic farming intensification / training and agroforestry; and, (5)Reduced inequalities for women and youth through literacy program and health awareness programs.

General

The Project purpose is to increase food supplies for 600 families of Giharo and Bukemba in Rutana Province of Burundi through promotion and facilitation in better farming methods and practices that will enhance increased food production in the community. T he Project will build the capacity of the community in sustainable land management, mobilization of local resource and adaptation to climate change.The Community of Pentecostal Churches in Burundi (CEPBU) is the main Fida partner in this program. During th e past 4 decades, Burundi has undergone through destructive civil wars that caused a great damaged to the country’s economy. During this period, more than 500,000 fled the country to the neighbouring countries especially Tanzania. After a long process of peace talks between the rebels and the government, peace agreements were signed and the repatriation process was initiated in which a massive flow back of returnees were settled back to their origin places in Rutana province of Burundi. The resettlement p rocess has faced a lot of challenges in meeting the needs of the returnee who were poor, illiterate, without food and shelter, and lacked farming inputs to start up their normal living. CEPBU and Fida have partnered to empower the community in understandin g their rights in response to these challenges. The Project will conduct church leaders training on food security/environment protection techniques and the formulation of food security and Environment protection policy. The partner will influence the comm unity on matters related to food security and environment protection practices. The project will train the Community Coordinating Teams (CCT) who will be a representation of the 600 families on food security and environment protection. The CCT will establ ish farmers' groups in the community and train them on saving and credit methods, effective livestock management, preparation and development of tree nurseries and engage them in tree planting and protect of forest areas with contour lines. The project wil l provide the Community Coordinating Teams with training materials, seeds for demonstration tree nurseries and links to other environment protection organizations. The overall objective of this project is to contribute to the wellbeing of the returnee comm unities in Burundi. It is expected that, at the end of the project the returnees will increase their food production that is enough to sustain their family needs and support their children education. The communities will understand their rights to their ba sic needs and find solutions to their needs. The communities will be empowered to take care of the environment and how to increase the forest cover.